McConnel, Grimes trade insults at picnic

A big day in Kentucky politics yesterday as the 134th annual Fancy Farm Picnic was held, featuring candidates from both parties vying to deliver the best insults and one liners.It's pretty much a wide open affair with the crowd hurling insults back at the candidates which can make the event seem like a free for all at times.

All in good fun, of course.

CNN:

Kentucky's two U.S. Senate candidates traded pithy barbs Saturday at a dual campaign stop in the midst of a race with national implications.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and his opponent, Democrat Alison Grimes, appeared in western Kentucky's Fancy Farm Picnic, where they each criticized the experience level of the other candidate.

Polling from earlier this year indicated McConnell's approval rating was in the low 30s.

And Grimes gave McConnell grief for serving in Washington for so long, saying he'd forgotten about the people of Kentucky.

"After three decades in Washington, you've just given up. You don't care about us any more. Thanks to you, D.C. stands for 'Doesn't Care," Grimes said.

But McConnell had something to say about how important his experience is while highlighting Grimes' inexperience, drawing parallels between Grimes, who's two years in as Kentucky's secretary of state, and the relative inexperience of President Barack Obama before taking office.

"He was only two years into his first big job when he started campaigning for the next one. Sound familiar?" McConnell said.

This is the 134th year of the event held in Fancy Farm. It's a unique event, bringing together candidates from both parties to the same venue. Grimes and McConnell were heckled throughout their speeches, but it seemed McConnell had more, or at least louder, supporters in house.

Thousands of people attended this year's event in western Kentucky, where in addition to the candidates, visitors also were able to enjoy a barbecue.

Senator Rand Paul got creative in his remarks, penning a bit of doggerel to describe Grimes' flirtation with Hollywood cash:

"There once was a woman from Kentucky, who thought in politics she'd be lucky. So she flew to LA for a Hollywood bash. She came home in a flash, with buckets of cash," Paul said.buckets of cash," Paul said.

Much was made about the Obama administration's war on coal which is hugely unpopular in coal-rich Kentucky. Grimes has been trying to distance herself from Obama, but that's a hard sell as Paul's speech shows.

Here's a link to the rest of the speeches, some of which are pretty funny.

A big day in Kentucky politics yesterday as the 134th annual Fancy Farm Picnic was held, featuring candidates from both parties vying to deliver the best insults and one liners.

It's pretty much a wide open affair with the crowd hurling insults back at the candidates which can make the event seem like a free for all at times.

All in good fun, of course.

CNN:

Kentucky's two U.S. Senate candidates traded pithy barbs Saturday at a dual campaign stop in the midst of a race with national implications.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and his opponent, Democrat Alison Grimes, appeared in western Kentucky's Fancy Farm Picnic, where they each criticized the experience level of the other candidate.

Polling from earlier this year indicated McConnell's approval rating was in the low 30s.

And Grimes gave McConnell grief for serving in Washington for so long, saying he'd forgotten about the people of Kentucky.

"After three decades in Washington, you've just given up. You don't care about us any more. Thanks to you, D.C. stands for 'Doesn't Care," Grimes said.

But McConnell had something to say about how important his experience is while highlighting Grimes' inexperience, drawing parallels between Grimes, who's two years in as Kentucky's secretary of state, and the relative inexperience of President Barack Obama before taking office.

"He was only two years into his first big job when he started campaigning for the next one. Sound familiar?" McConnell said.

This is the 134th year of the event held in Fancy Farm. It's a unique event, bringing together candidates from both parties to the same venue. Grimes and McConnell were heckled throughout their speeches, but it seemed McConnell had more, or at least louder, supporters in house.

Thousands of people attended this year's event in western Kentucky, where in addition to the candidates, visitors also were able to enjoy a barbecue.

Senator Rand Paul got creative in his remarks, penning a bit of doggerel to describe Grimes' flirtation with Hollywood cash:

"There once was a woman from Kentucky, who thought in politics she'd be lucky. So she flew to LA for a Hollywood bash. She came home in a flash, with buckets of cash," Paul said.buckets of cash," Paul said.

Much was made about the Obama administration's war on coal which is hugely unpopular in coal-rich Kentucky. Grimes has been trying to distance herself from Obama, but that's a hard sell as Paul's speech shows.

Here's a link to the rest of the speeches, some of which are pretty funny.